Just a Few New Pieces

Instead of rewriting the names and descriptions of the pieces, if you want more information, click here and you will be taken to Maria Bella Jewelry.

New Handcrafted Jewelery

Rarely do I do a matching set. Very rarely. But I had an idea for this necklace, and then I had an idea for the earrings. So here they are. And I think this is so sweet.

The necklace is called "Love Letter."


And these matching earrings are called "The Messengers." The birds are delivering the love letters.

Both are all ready listed on my Maria Bella Jewelry site.

One Big Mistake

I've been very busy lately, making new pieces for my Maria Bella Jewelry store and getting ready for a Holiday Fair last weekend.

I put a lot of work into just getting to the fair. I packed my car to the gills as they say. Two long folding tables and a third square folding table, all my displays, and of course the jewelry.


So pack the car full once, unpack and put up the display. And then in the end, repack the car and unload it again.

This is not counting the havoc I have created in my studio. What a mess. Little by little, I am putting things back in order.

So with all the work involved in doing a fair, one would hope and expect that a nice group of people would flow through the event throughout the day.


But something happened to make this fair a bust. The organization that has put this on for years decided that they didn't need to advertise. People are bound to be aware of this from past years. Big mistake!

For one thing, in my area now, there are usually multiple fairs going on the weekends before Christmas. And so there was, 2 other. One of the others is the largest fair we have in my town. It is 3 days, has been around for 20 plus years, and they advertised for at least 2 weekends before, as well as every day the week of the show in our local paper.

We were told in the paperwork we had that advertising was going to be done and what it would be. If we had known beforehand that nothing was going to be done, everyone could have decided to go to another fair.

And there were no signs around town, and not even a sign outside the building we were in to let anyone know there was a fair inside.

This blog post could also be called, If I hold and Art Fair and don't advertise, will anyone come?

The crowd was almost nonexistent. People came who were invited by the artists themselves. Some people came looking because they thought this fair was usually the same weekend as the large, 3 day fair.


It was disappointing to say the least. Most of the artists were very unhappy and made it known. Artists who have repeatedly shown there are not going to return next year. I tried to call today to voice my complaint, but all I got was a voice mail. I'll try again. Right now I am not as upset, but I do want to voice my opinion on this matter with the person in charge. I'd like to get my money back, but we will see where that goes.

Handcrafted Jewelery-Cleaning Sterling Silver

Line a glass baking dish with aluminum foil; place your sterling silver wire coil or jewelry pieces on the foil and cover it with a thin sprinkling of baking soda; add boiling hot water to cover the wire or jewelry; use a wooden chopstick or other non-metal utensil to gently stir the items around a bit so they all have contact with the aluminum foil at one time or another; when satisfied, remove the items and rinse thoroughly under tepid running water; pat items dry. For more stubborn tarnish you can also assist the cleaning process by using a soft toothbrush during the rinse process.

Please be aware of not using this method to clean pieces that contain pearls, soft stones that have not been polished professionally like turquoise, and Never add ivory, opals, or any precious stone that may have enhancements or treatments such as wax or oils that are often used on sapphires, rubies and emeralds!

Better yet just use an ionic cleaner such as the Speed Brite, which can be used safely on everything except ivory.

(by Dale “Cougar” Armstrong/Wire-Sculpture.com)

My Latest Jewelry

If you haven't been to my jewelry site, Maria Bella Jewelry, then you haven't seen some of my latest pieces.





Instead of writing descriptions all over again, if you would like more information, just click here.

I Have a Dream

Over this year, I have purchased many items for my bead store that have never made it to Tiger Beads. I would just buy more and more and get overwhelmed with all the photographing and listing I needed to do. Buying the beads and gems is always much more fun.

But I have a dream! I am going to do my best to photo and list the cabs and beads and pendants I just have stored and get them in my store. I also need to rephotograph some of my beads. Some of my photos just do not do justice to how pretty some of these beads really are.

So if you need supplies, keep an eye on my bead store for more additions.

And a Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers and their families.

Black Friday Sale

I have given a lot of thought as to whether or not to have a sale at Maria Bella Jewelry on Black Friday. And the final answer is, of course!

Here are the details:

*First of all, FREE SHIPPING on all purchases.

*Secondly, 10% OFF all orders totaling $50.00 or more.

*And 15% OFF all orders $100.00 and above.

***This SALE will begin on friday, Nov. 27th and go through tuesday, Dec. 1st.

***Any of my blog readers can begin to enjoy the SALE immediately!

***More jewelry will be added before and during the sale dates so come back for a second, or even third look.

In the "message to seller" area at checkout, please enter "Black Friday Sale." (The shipping charge and discount will be refunded back to your Paypal account after the full payment is submitted).

Thank you to all my readers and a Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family.

My Little Pretties

I love working in my studio. Yesterday, all 3 of my cats were in the studio with me. Once in a while they do like to walk over and even sit on what I am working on. Because it was sunny, they went out in their catio in the afternoon to rest. I had a good day. got lots done. More to list in my Etsy Maria Bella jewelry store when I get the chance.


All sterling silver and very feminine and intricate.



The red stone is chalcedony cut into a faceted briolette. The pretty filligree circular design piece is a brass stamping that is plated with silver and the earwires are sterling.



And lastly, I made a wire wrapped a hanger for the top of this beautiful large amazonite briolette. The chain is all sterling as well as the clasp.